CHARLESTON, WV – Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, members of the Governor’s One Shot Committee and several state senators and delegates recently presented a check to the Mountaineer Food Bank, representing $50,000 raised during the ninth annual Governor’s One Shot Deer Hunt, held Oct. 23-25, 2015, at Stonewall Resort State Park. Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager, USAF, Ret., was the featured guest at the event.

The first event in 2007 raised $17,000, the second in 2008 raised $35,000, the third in 2009 raised $50,000, the fourth in 2010 raised $75,000, the fifth in 2011 raised $75,000; the sixth in 2012 raised $70,000, the seventh in 2013 raised $65,000, and the eighth in 2014 raised $65,000. Donations received at the 2015 event brought the total amount raised to more than half-a-million dollars over the life of the event.

The money will go toward expenses associated with the Hunters Helping the Hungry Program (HHH), administered by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, to distribute venison to needy families across the state through the Mountaineer Food Bank. The check was presented Jan. 21, 2016, during a ceremony at the State Capitol in Charleston.

The Governor’s One Shot event is sponsored by WVDNR and the Governor’s One Shot Committee, which organizes the event each year. Official with the Mountaineer Food Bank, accepted the check with thanks to everyone who contributed to the Governor’s One Shot.

Private individuals and businesses donate money for the opportunity to participate in guided antlerless deer hunts on private property near Stonewall Resort State Park. The event wraps up with an auction and an award banquet. All venison from the hunt, along with profits from the sponsorships, goes to the Mountaineer Food Bank.

The HHH program allows hunters to donate legally harvested deer to certified processors so the meat can be distributed to a network of more than 550 local soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, senior centers, missions, churches and community centers around the state.

The HHH program has been highly successful since it began in 1992, providing more than a million family style meals to the neediest of West Virginians. However, the program also requires cash donations to pay for processing and distribution costs to benefit these needy individuals. More information about the HHH program is available at wvdnr.gov/Hunting/HHH.shtm.

Passage of Sportsmen’s Act OF 2015

Legislation will increase public lands access for sportsmen and promote West Virginia’s outdoor recreation economy

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), co-chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, applauded the bipartisan passage of the Sportsmen’s Act of 2015. The legislation will enhance hunting, fishing and recreational shooting opportunities by increasing access to federal lands. It also includes the permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The bill passed the ENR Committee by a voice vote.

“As a lifelong, avid sportsman, I know firsthand that our hunting, fishing and outdoor heritage is so important to who we are as West Virginians and as Americans,” Senator Manchin said. “In West Virginia, it’s a family affair and an opportunity to pass along, from one generation to another, a deep and lasting appreciation for all the outdoors have to offer. I believe that we should protect these traditions that help define who we are. This bipartisan bill will boost West Virginia’s economy while expanding hunting and fishing rights and allowing people a greater ability to enjoy the outdoors.”

Senator Manchin’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:

As an avid sportsman, I believe that hunting and fishing are an integral part of the American culture and a powerful force of good protecting and preserving the natural world around us.

In West Virginia, it’s a family affair and an opportunity to pass along – from one generation to another – a deep and lasting appreciation for all the outdoors have to offer.

One of my top priorities is to make sure that the people I represent can carry on that tradition by ensuring they have access to hunting, fishing and recreational shooting on our nation’s public lands.

In my home state, we have more than 1.6 million acres of public land open to hunting with 28 shooting ranges on these lands.

We have a year-round fishing season, with more than 20,000 miles of streams and more than 100 public fishing lakes.

But this is about more than heritage and family tradition – hunting and fishing are big business in the Mountain State.

In 2011 alone, sportsmen and women spent $870 million on hunting and fishing in West Virginia and paid $81 million in state and local taxes.

Title II of this bill establishes an important precedent that seems pretty common sense to me – Federal land should be open to hunting and fishing, within existing laws, unless there is a reason for it not to be.

Nothing in the bill opens any sensitive areas that are already closed to these activities.

It merely establishes the precedent that our public lands should be open to the public so that people can enjoy them.

I think it’s a shame that we all too often get caught up in debates between environmentalists and sportsmen – both of whom want to preserve and protect the great outdoors.

Gale Norton, Secretary of the Department of the Interior under President George W. Bush, once said:

“Dating back to Teddy Roosevelt, hunters have been the pillar of conservation in America, doing more than anyone to conserve wildlife and its habitat.”

I’m a firm believer that introducing someone to the great outdoors through hunting and fishing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to show them why conservation matters.

I was also very pleased to see that the permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was included in this bill.

In West Virginia, LWCF has helped maintain and expand access to some of our State’s natural treasures for the benefit of all.

Access projects funded by LWCF, in places like the Monongahela National Forest, Canaan Valley, and the Gauley River, not only keep public lands public for sportsmen, but also promote West Virginia’s thriving and growing outdoor recreation economy.

A Section 6 habitat grant was the centerpiece of a project up in Cheat Canyon that leveraged state, local, and private funds to protect another incredible river that provides outdoor recreation in the northern part of the state.

A different type of grant protected key battlefield areas around Harper’s Ferry last year.

The permanent reauthorization of the LWCF is another one of my top priorities, and I commend my colleagues for working together, across partisan lines, to include it in this bill.

For the past two Congresses, we have tried and failed to pass a Sportsmen’s package through the Senate despite strong bipartisan support.

I commend Senator Murkowski and Senator Heinrich for their leadership on the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act this Congress, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

At the regular quarterly meeting of the Natural Resources Commission held Sunday February 22, 2015, in South Charleston, Bill Carman, Regional Director for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) and its West Virginia State Chapter President Brian Satterfield presented a Seed Grant check in the amount of $50,000 to the West Virginia DNR for its active elk restoration program.

These funds can now be used by WVDNR to support its active elk restoration program. RMEF has been instrumental with the restoration of elk in Kentucky and Virginia just astride of the Mountain State’s designated southwestern coalfields elk zone consisting of all or parts of Logan, Mingo, Wyoming, McDowell, Lincoln, Wayne and Boone counties.

The commissioners and WVDNR Chief of Wildlife Resources Curtis Taylor thanked RMEF for this generous contribution, which is designated to kick-off the program. Revenues for such grants are generated by fundraising banquets held by local chapters here and elsewhere. West Virginia presently has four active chapters.

“The mission of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage,” Carman said.

Accepting the contribution on behalf of WVDNR were elk zone wildlife and law enforcement coordinators Randy Kelley and Sgt. Terry Ballard, respectively.

Proposals for Doe Hunting

The drastic drop in the number of bucks hunters killed in 2014 is reflected in the proposed regulations for the 2015 antlerless deer hunting season in West Virginia. Whether the changes are enough to satisfy hunters remain to be seen.

“The season framework is very similar or the same as in years past,” said DNR Game Management Supervisor Gary Foster. “There will be a lot of counties that are the same, but a lot of counties will be a lot more restrictive. That’s primarily due to that decreased buck gun harvest.”

Under the proposed regulations for 2015 Boone, Tucker, Wayne, Webster and portions of Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Mineral, Pendleton and Raleigh counties would have no antlerless hunting season.

Hunters in Randolph, Mercer, Nicholas, Pocahontas and portions of Clay, Fayette Raleigh counties will need to apply for a limited number of tags in 2015 and the bag limit will be one antlerless deer.

The biggest change may be a reduction in the antlerless bag limit in selected counties. Hunters in Barbour, Braxton, Cabell, Grant, Hancock, Kanawha (north of Elk River and west of Corridor G), Lincoln, Marshall, Pleasants, Preston, Summers, Taylor, and Upshur Counties will see their bag limit for 2015 set at one antlerless deer.

The other major change will be in the number of counties where hunters are required to kill an antlerless deer before they could kill their second buck. Thirty-one counties carried the so called “earn a second buck” restriction in 2014. The number this year is down to nine counties or parts of counties. Those are Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, part of Greenbrier, Hampshire, Part of Mineral, Morgan, Ritchie, and Wood Counties. The bag limit in those counties for antlerless deer remained at three as proposed by game biologists.

The bag limit will also remain at three without the “earn a second buck” restriction in Berkeley, Brooke, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Lewis, Marion, Mason, Monongalia, Monroe, Ohio, Putnam, Roane, Tyler, Wetzel, and Wirt County. The eastern portion of Pendleton County was also added to the three antlerless deer limit for 2015.

“The 2014 harvest was definitely low, but I don’t think it’s a reflection of a lower deer population,” said Foster. “There are a lot of other factors that came into play including the really strong mast crop and terrible weather in the first week of buck season, particularly on the first day. The data looks very similar to what we had in 2010 after the bumper crop when mast was at an all time high.”

The proposals keep the season framework intact. The season would be October 22-24, November 23-December 5 concurrent with the buck season. December 17-19 and December 29-31 on private land. The season dates for public land include November 23-December 5 concurrent with buck season, December 17-19, December 29-31.

The agency indicated harvest objectives and population density is more inline with management plans on the state’s public hunting areas. The proposals include a limited antlerless hunt with a bag limit of one on the Elk River, Big Ugly, and Wallback WMA’s and Greenbreir State Forest and Kumbrabow State Forest.

Biologist suggest unlimited hunting with a one deer bag limit for does on Castleman’s Run, Stonecoal Lake, Camp Creek, McClintic, Stonewall Jackson Lake, Amherst/Plymouth, Cross Creek, Beury Mountain, Chief Cornstalk, Lewis-Wetzel, Bluestone, and Greenbottom Wildlife Management Areas as well as Cooper’s Rock State Forest. Any public hunting area not specified in the proposal would follow the county’s proposed regulations for antlerless deer hunting.

The dates and bag limits are only proposals at this point. They will go out for public comment and the agency will accept comments on the ideas during the upcoming sectional meetings in March. The state Natural Resources Commission will vote on the proposals at their next meeting.

Division of Natural Resources Director Bob Fala and Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Pat Reed announce the opportunity for seniors who have purchased the Class XS Senior Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License to obtain a Class XS designation on their West Virginia driver’s license or identification card.

According to Commissioner Reed, “DMV is pleased to offer a new, convenient driver’s license and ID card designation for our customers, in addition to other designation opportunities already available, including veteran, hearing impaired and organ donor.”

Working together with other organizations to further enhance good customer service is important to both agencies. “We are pleased to partner with the DMV to make it easier for our Senior Lifetime License holders to show proof of a license while in the field,” said Director Fala. “The Class XS License endorsement printed on the West Virginia driver’s license means they only would be required to carry that one proof of identification with them.”

The Senior Lifetime Hunting, Fishing and Trapping license can only be purchased through the DNR South Charleston Office at 324 4th Avenue. To obtain the Senior Lifetime Hunting, Fishing and Trapping designation, customers may visit their nearest DMV regional office and apply for the designation to be added to their driver’s license or ID card. Customers will need to present the bill of sale for the license, or their permanent Class XS license card as proof of licensure, as well as all applicable documentation for a driver’s license or ID card.

Documentation required includes one proof of physical residency for a Not For Federal driver’s license or ID card and two proofs of physical residency for a For Federal card.

No fees will be collected by the DMV for the designation if the applicant is already renewing their license or ID card.

A $5 duplicate fee will be charged for the Not For Federal driver’s license or ID card if the customer is wanting to just add the designation.

A $15 fee will be collected for the For Federal driver’s license or ID card.

Commissioner Reed encourages all applicants to call the DMV Call Center at 1-800-642-9066 or visit the DMV website at www.dmv.wv.gov with any questions before going to a regional office. “Our focus is customer service, and we want our customers to have a pleasant and efficient visit to the DMV. Our fully-staffed Call Center and website are both great information resources to ensure that all of the necessary documents are in place before going to the DMV.”

For additional information about the senior lifetime hunting, trapping and fishing license, please call 304.558.2771 and ask for the licensing office.

West Virginia Hunters Harvest 1,016 Fall Turkeys in 2014

Preliminary figures for the 2014 fall turkey hunting season reveal that 1,016 turkeys were checked in.

Statewide, the 2014 harvest was very similar to the 999 reported in 2013.

Three of the six administrative districts reported increases in harvest from 2013 levels ranging from a modest 4% increase in District 1 to a 69% increase in District 6, despite having two additional counties closed to hunting.

Districts 2, 4 and 5 reported declines in harvest.

The decline in District 5 was likely due to only one county being open to hunting in 2014, compared to five counties in 2013.

“Fall turkey harvests are highly influenced by hunter participation and interest, annual recruitment and hard mast conditions,“ said Curtis I. Taylor, chief of the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

“Turkey brood production was fairly good this year and it mimicked the 5-year average. Brood observations were 30% higher than last year and 15% better than 2012. These production improvements and better mast conditions led us to anticipate a similar fall harvest, which happened even with six fewer counties open to hunting.“

This year’s total harvest was 31 percent less than the 2013 deer harvest of 150,877 and 23 percent below the five-year average of 136,168.

The 2014 harvest is very similar to the 2010 harvest of 106,499, the last time acorns were exceptionally abundant. Successful buck hunters this year had an excellent chance to harvest an older-age buck as the preliminary analysis of deer age data indicates that 25 percent of the antlered bucks brought to the game checking stations during the first three days of traditional buck firearm season were 3.5 years of age or older. A breakdown of the combined 2014 deer seasons reveals hunters harvested 37,766 bucks during the traditional buck firearm season, 39,514 antlerless deer during all antlerless firearm hunting opportunities, 21,653 deer during archery season, and 5,290 deer during muzzleloader season.

Antlerless Deer Season

The 2014 antlerless deer season harvest, which includes the youth/Class Q/Class XS deer season, was 30 percent less than in 2013 and 14 percent below the five-year average of 46,204.

“It is important to note that the antlerless harvest is the key component to any deer management strategy, as it controls the future deer population,” said Director Fala.

In 2014, all or portions of 50 of the 55 counties were open to antlerless firearms season for hunters to harvest one to three antlerless deer, depending on the county. Next year’s antlerless deer hunting opportunity will depend on the need to increase, decrease or stabilize deer populations in each of the 51 counties where firearms deer hunting is permitted.

The 2014 muzzleloader harvest of 5,290 was 32 percent less than the 2013 harvest of 7,739, and 28 percent below the five-year average of 7,341. However, this year’s harvest was within 95 deer of the 2012 recorded harvest of 5,385.

The bowhunter take of 21,653 deer was 28 percent less than the 2013 harvest of 29,979, 19 percent below the five-year average harvest of 26,721 and is very similar to the 2010 harvest of 21,962. Archery harvests are correlated to hard mast crops, and the above average acorn crop in 2014, like that of 2010, was a significant factor for the lower harvest in 2014.

West Virginia Hunters Harvest 2,385 Black Bears in 2014

West Virginia hunters harvested 2,385 black bears during the combined 2014 archery and firearms seasons, according to Colin Carpenter, Black Bear Project Leader for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The preliminary harvest data for the combined 2014 seasons were 11 percent lower than the 2013 harvest of 2,692 bears. The black bear harvest of 2014 marks the fifth time in five years that the harvest has topped 2,000 and is tied for the third highest harvest on record.

“Mast conditions in 2014 helped some hunters and hurt others,” said Carpenter. “The 2014 Mast Survey and Hunting Outlook documented vastly improved oak mast conditions over 2013. Historically, abundant oak mast has led to a decreased archery harvest and an increased December firearms harvest, and that scenario held true in 2014. Abundant oak mast statewide prevented archers from patterning bears effectively and led to a decreased archery harvest. However, abundant mast kept bruins out of their winter dens and available to be harvested in the December firearms season.”

Carpenter attributed the decrease in harvest during the September/October firearms seasons to a decrease in hunting days from six in 2013 to three in 2014 in the 16 counties that were open. There was a slight increase in harvest during the concurrent buck-gun/bear season over 2013. Overall, the decrease in archery and September/October firearms harvest was not offset by the increases in the buck-gun and December firearms harvest.

Hunters took 516 bears during the 2014 archery season. The top five counties were Webster (53), Preston (45), Fayette (42), Nicholas (39), and Randolph (39).

Firearms hunters harvested 1,869 bears during 2014. Hunters took 457 bears in September and October, 397 during the concurrent buck-gun/bear season, and 1,015 during the traditional December season. The top five counties were Pocahontas (182), Randolph (172), Greenbrier (167), Pendleton (167) and Webster (160).

Jezioro will coordinate state and federal wildlife, sportsmen, and conservation groups

“I am thrilled to announce that a truly dedicated West Virginia public servant, Frank Jezioro, has agreed to join our Senate office as the new Liaison to Sportsmen and Natural Resources. Frank’s vision and foresight coupled with his invaluable support and insight, have always served as an asset to help me better serve the people of West Virginia, whether as Governor or as a United States Senator. As the new Co-Chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and as a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Frank’s experience will undoubtedly benefit hunters, fishers and outdoorsmen across the Mountain State and this country.

“It was a privilege to appoint Frank as Director of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources when I was Governor, where he played a vital role in preserving significant amounts of public land to expand access for hunting and fishing, along with protecting some of our state’s most beautiful landmarks. His intuition and leadership capabilities also helped launch the annual Governor’s One Shot Deer Hunt at Stonewall Resort State Park, which since 2007, has raised and donated $455,000 to the Hunters Helping the Hungry Program.”

Deer Hunters in West Virginia Harvest 37,277 Bucks During the Buck Firearms Season

Preliminary data collected from game checking stations across the state indicate deer hunters in West Virginia harvested 37,277 bucks during the two-week buck firearms season, which ran from Nov.ember24 through December 06, 2014.

This year’s overall buck harvest is lower than last year’s with decreases occurring in all DNR districts.

The largest percentage decreases occurred in the western counties of the state, while the buck harvest in the mountain and southeastern counties had smaller decreases.

Warm and very windy weather across the state on opening day; heavy snowfall Wednesday, the third day of the season, in the eastern panhandle of the state; and a rainy second week impacted hunter participation and contributed to the decreased harvest across the state.

The excellent acorn crop this fall also contributed to lower hunter success, just as a similar abundant acorn crop in 2010 led to a 31% decline in buck harvest followed by a 38% rebound in 2011.

Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway Receives $65,000 Donation…

Governor’s One Shot Committee members have presented a check to the Mountaineer Food Bank, representing $65,000 raised during the eighth annual Governor’s One Shot Deer Hunt held October 24-26, 2014.

The money will go toward expenses associated with the Hunters Helping the Hungry Program (HHH), administered by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, to distribute venison to needy families across the state through the Mountaineer Food Bank.

The check was presented December 10, 2014 at the Food Bank’s headquarters in Gassaway, Braxton County.

The Governor’s One Shot event is sponsored by WVDNR and the Governor’s One Shot Committee, which organizes the event each year. Committee members also were in attendance at the ceremony.

Carla Nardella, director of the Mountaineer Food Bank, accepted the check with thanks to everyone who contributed to the Governor’s One Shot.

Private individuals and businesses donate money for the opportunity to participate in guided antlerless deer hunts on private property near Stonewall Resort State Park.

The event wraps up with an auction and an award banquet.

All venison from the hunt, along with profits from the sponsorships, goes to the Mountaineer Food Bank.

The first event in 2007 raised $17,000, the second in 2008 raised $35,000, the third in 2009 raised $50,000, the fourth in 2010 raised $75,000, the fifth in 2011 raised $75,000; the sixth in 2012 raised $70,000, and the seventh in 2013 raised $65,000.

The HHH program allows hunters to donate legally harvested deer to certified processors so the meat can be distributed to a network of more than 550 local soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, senior centers, missions, churches and community centers around the state.

The HHH program has been highly successful since it began in 1992, providing more than a million family style meals to the neediest of West Virginians.

However, the program also requires cash donations to pay for processing and distribution costs to benefit these needy individuals.

West Virginia DNR Prepares for Changeover to Electronic Licensing System Effective January 01, 2015

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) announces that December 23 will be the last day in 2014 for processing lifetime licenses or permits.

The last week of December will be used to prepare for conversion of records into the new electronic licensing system which becomes effective January 01, 2015.

After December 23, 2014 applications for lifetime licenses and permits may still be dropped off or mailed to the DNR Headquarters, 324 Fourth Avenue, South Charleston, WV 25303, but they will be held until January for processing in the new system.

Brian and Montie send their condolences to Gary’s family, especially to Nancy and Sharon for the death of a husband and father. Nothing can really prepare us for such a loss as this. We are thinking about you at this sad time.

Gilmer County has long memories. We recall the hill crest fund raiser out along Mineral Road to raise money for the Manchin political machine.

That was followed by Gayle’s insulting rant against the County leading to the damage of our school system and outlying communities during the State’s six years of iron rule intervention.

The good news is that Gayle is gone along with all other members of the WV State Board of Education responsible for our County’s intervention and the waste and mismanagement it wrought. Karma is alive and well WV!

Great guy, who would do anything to help you. He would have probably got a kick out of having some strange woman’s face plaistered on his obituary. He would have had something smart to say about it I’m sure.

He had a great sense of humor. I saw him a little while back. I stopped by his house and visited with him a couple hours and as I went in I told him I stopped by to see if I could borrow his fancy car parked out front, expecting to meet with some resistance to that idea. Without missing a beat he said “Sure, just don’t let any of my kids drive it!“ We had a really nice visit that day - talking about cars and reminscing.

so sorry to hear this news. He took over Steve Grossmann’s mail route and we sure did appreciate his getting the mail delivered in all kinds of weather. Slipping and sliding all the way. I loved his little dog that would look for snakes in the Normantown P.O.

Not surprised the Board of Ed supporting employees for raises and insurance. These people show they care about good employees over and over.
Just after they got our school system out from under state control they stood unanimously against the state appointed superintendent and his hand picked lawyer who tried to take away jobs from 8 professionals including Teachers and 4 service personnel. Can’t even count the number of transfers. Gilmer’s Board of Ed just said no to that hit list. They stand up for this county and the kids..

Long list of candidates for the School Board. It would help voters decide if each candidate would publish a write-up of their personal backgrounds to include special qualifications for serving on the school board, and to include detailed goals for what they would like to achieve as a board member. The information would be far more useful to voters than signs plastered all over the County.

How about the new superintendent of Gilmer’s schools giving a progress report on her accomplishments so far in improving the quality of our schools to produce better prepared HS graduates for college and careers, plans for continual upgrading of academic achievements by our students, and how results will be accurately measured and reported to be convincing that our County is moving ahead? Doesn’t sound too much to ask for by bill paying citizens.

The question for the County’s sitting School Board is what is being done with corrective actions to get the County’s HS graduates out of the worst prepared bottom group for college and career preparedness as the State has reported?

Because more students graduate it does not mean that they mastered key subjects to promote success in the modern work place. Can anyone say grade inflation?

Example of a yes/but situation. Just because kids are pushed through does not mean that they are college and career ready. Read past comments about Gilmer’s being in the failing category for academic preparation. The way WV info is reported allows selective use of results to bloat up claims of how well a high school does in preparing students for the real world.

Sunday’s Charleston Gazette-Mail had a warning that just because a high school has a high graduation rate that does not mean that its students are college ready. Gilmer County is one of them to put us in the State’s bottom category for readiness, but you won’t hear about it locally. Kids call it dumbing down.

This point should be kept in mind i.e. “The Commission has directed all privately owned electric, gas, water, sewer and solid waste facilities to track the tax savings resulting from the 2017 Federal Tax Act on a monthly basis beginning January 01, 2018. “.

Troyan advocates for competition among schools with survival of the top performers. Her point is that the lack of accountability for county school system administrators must change to be similar to the way corporate America functions. Failure must have consequences!

Gilmer singled out again in article by Jessi Troyan for our being at the bottom for preparing high school grads for college. We know we have a serious problem. We await on top school system leadership to devise a workable remedial plan for the County. Denial of having problems cannot be used anymore to cover up

Those who go to college perform down at the bottom in comparison to high school graduates in other WV counties. This evidence suggests that Gilmer’s students who don’t go to college are short changed too. Immediate leadership changes to straighten out under achievement are in order!

The whole child concept is admirable, but with GCHS grads being behind in proficiency for academic subjects we need to make changes to drastically improve learning to enable our kids to compete in the highly competitive modern world.

Our being the 52nd worse off among 55 WV counties for college remediation rates is undeniable proof.

Administrators must determine legitimate causes of our bottom ranking for use in improving learning instead of applying usual low payoff tinkering to be passed off as progress.

Wanna bet that in green counties when results sag there is no hesitancy to make administrative changes when needed? In Gilmer County the approach has been to hide facts and to manufacture rosy ones to report to citizens.

This is basically the process for an improvement plan. A school board specifies student achievement standards and it assigns a superintendent to work with central office staff and school administrators to produce a comprehensive plan for making needed changes. After putting a plan in place results are closely monitored by a school board while holding a superintendent personally accountable for achieving the standards.

The no excuse rate for Gilmer County is 59% and there are only three other WV counties worse off. This alarming information flags dire need for the County’s school board to do its job by implementing an improvement plan.

I always thought a Harvard education was something special. Well, I guess it is. Just a week ago they had ‘sex week’. One of the course offerings was analsex101. That’s right. Google it. Plenty of coverage. True story.

Why are Gilmer’s voters kept in the dark about activities of the two LSICs in the County? No published agendas before meetings, no published meeting minutes, and plans with details for school improvements are not disclosed. Violation of WV’s open meeting laws? To top it off memberships of LSIC’s and who selected the individuals are kept secret from voters.

LSIC plans are short on specifics for measurable academic improvements to be achieved. That way no matter what happens extraordinary successes can be proclaimed. The strategy is designed to make meaningful accountability impossible for school system administrators.

All high schools in WV have ACT Profile Reports for each graduating class.

The only performance information typically cited in school districts is average ACT scores for graduating classes.

If you can get copies of Reports for your high schools read them to independently evaluate testing results for career and college readiness, science, technology engineering and math (STEM), and other categories.

Chances are that your local administrators gloated that average ACT scores for graduating classes are commendable to give your high schools passing marks, but other testing outcomes in the Reports may show otherwise.

It is doubtful if LSIC members for your high schools know about the Reports to be grounds for demanding academic improvement plans. Check Reports for high schools in your school district to make up your own minds.

Aren’t they supposed to have agendas AND minutes for each and every meeting, by law? They put it right there on the agendas that there were None. And months’ go by without even Seeing an Agenda. It’s a citizen’s right to go in and ask to see them ALL. Someone needs to look into this. Especially with all the speculation that goes on around legal issues in the county!

The grade 7 spike in math in comparison to lowered performances in higher grades begs the question about reasons. What is being done to ensure that math skills will not drop by graduation time? Has anyone looked at adverse effects of block scheduling and other factors?

We’ll. It’s a step forward to see the Commission AGENDA - but what about the minutes? The last two agendas have said “ Approve County Commission Minutes-None” Aren’t there supposed to legally be minutes for the public to read????? This makes NO sense unless things are going on that the Commission doesn’t want the public to know. Obviously. SHOW THE MINUTES Jean Butcher, do your job!

This posting is very informative and it documents what can be done with innovative approaches to teaching math. For too long we were fed the party line that all was well in our schools for math and everything else. That myth prevailed because facts were hidden to hold down the County’s demands for accountability. Hats are off to Kelly Barr and Traci DeWall.

During intervention it was commonly known that school board members made repeated requests for all kinds of student progress information, but it was kept from them. That era has ended and the County’s school board is expected to focus on its top priority responsibility that is to continually improve student learning in our schools. Our kids can perform if they are given the chance.

Gilmer look at this Did You Know. If you look at the State’s data on Zoom Dashboard to review changes in mastery of math and reading for the GCHS’s 11th grade for the 2011 and 2017 testing years it is clear the you have a problem with your math program. In 2011 the math pass rate was 36.92 compared to 37.29% in 2017. Progress with reading was truly commendable. The pass rate went from 26.98 in 2011 to 64.41% in 2017. Why the lack of progress for math? We know that your school board members are trying to get information about plans for improvements for math and science, but is full disclosure of details any better than it was under intervention? Let us know.

It doesn’t seem like Gilmer County Law Officials seem to care about the murders in the area. In my opinion. We don’t hear anything from the law on Any of the pertinent local situations. Why IS that? We know MUCH more about national news that we know about the goings on in Gilmer. Crimes, drug busts, investigations and Answers to those investigations. Why don’t we Ever hear any news from the Sheriff’s Department?? Still wondering why Deputy Wheeler was reassigned to school patrol officer and who took over his murder investigative duties. Can’t get anyone to pick up the phone or an answer when I call. Maybe someone on the Gilmer Free Press can shed some light?

“We should welcome refugees and immigrants to the United States because it’s good for our society, for our economy, and for our nation.“

WRONG - Diversity in populations has been proven to be, not helpful to society, but harmful. Immigrant groups who refuse to assimilate are a problem not a benefit, and will remain a problem until they do assimilate.

It’s understood that not all Muslims are terrorists, but for practical purposes all terrorists are Muslims. And please spare me the Timothy McVey arguments. McVey and his ilk were loners. Muslim terrorists are part of an organized movement.

I think almost all immigration should cease until the present immigrant population can be dealt with, through assimilation or otherwise.

Nice to see the Gilmer County Commission finally reveal their meeting minutes after long lapses of no information. Can’t help but wonder if this was posted specifically because of the topic - Sheriff Gerwig being assigned to another estate case before closing out others. Memories of Willard F. Cottrill today. d. 10/20/10 R.I.P. The minutes should be interesting. Let freedom ring.

From WV Zoom Dash Board. GCES 6th grade student proficiency rate=20% for math and 31% for reading. Gilmer County demands a K-12 improvement plan everyone can understand and promote!!! We have had enough of the everything is just fine claims.

It is a common occurrence for school administrators to carefully select one small piece of information to purposely give a school a rosy performance rating for student learning and to hide unflattering information from an LSIC and a local BOE. The way to prevent the censorship is for superintendents to routinely provide access to all testing results so performance evaluations for a school can be based on a full set of facts.

The community has observed that there is an improved way of doing business by the GCBOE and the new superintendent after the State pulled out. One problem to solve after the State’s neglect for six years of intervention is low student success at the GCHS for math and science. There is documentation on the ZoomWV Dashboard kept by the WV Education Department. The pass rate for GCHS students for M & S is in the 30s. What is the HS’s LSIC group doing to improve those scores? Does it have a detailed improvement plan for the school and if it does it should be disclosed. M and S under achievement underscores why it is important to know what the County’s LSICs are doing to improve our schools academically.

Should not have to get LSIC membership from principals. The information should be published for the public record for all interested citizens including taxpayers to know. Gilmer’s secrecy has been a long time tool used to undermine accountability and it must stop!

We 4-H supporters wish to express our appreciation to Mrs. Hurley and the other board of Education members with the 100% vote to hold and sell this trailer for 4-H use/utilization. This new office space for the very nominal fee is much appreciated.

Kudos to Hurley for staying in contact with the past 4-H director and making sure all was well and agenda requirements were met. We had heard we were not going to get the trailer. Thanks goodness the fake news was totally wrong.

Moving out of the old infirmary building will be a real blessing. The group has learned a valuable lesson.

Do not take the word of ANY others about what the Board of Ed tries to do for each and every community in Gilmer County. Go to the source.